


My Little Loptrs – Friendship is Magic

by black_feather_fiction



Series: Loki's Sing-Along And Other Mischievous Plot Devices [2]
Category: Gremlins (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore
Genre: BAMF Loki (Marvel), Gore, Humor, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki is not exactly a nice person, Loki'd (Marvel), Loki's position in Asgard is fragile, Not Asgard-friendly, Odins A+ Parenting, Victim Blaming, Violence, Warning: Loki (Marvel), but not as fragile as Aesir masculinity, but nothing explicit, first seeds of a suicidal mindset, gremlins are the ultimate Loki weapon, if you like the dark kind, less vague, seriously if you think you’ve outsmarted Loki he’s probably outsmarted you, there is a reason Loki likes Idunn so much, vague references to past sexual trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 09:54:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_feather_fiction/pseuds/black_feather_fiction
Summary: The lesson of this tale is probably that you actually should look a gifted horse in the mouth (and check it for booby traps, and curses and if it’s really a horse) if the one offering it to you is Loki. Or maybe the lesson is simply not to trifle with a God of Chaos and then expect a happy ending. Basically a retelling of the kidnapping of Idunn with gremlins.Can be read as an independent story.





	My Little Loptrs – Friendship is Magic

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bonus fic for [The Prestige](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14584104/chapters/33703416), and is set in the same universe. But it can be read as a one shot without any background knowledge about the Prestige just as well. Also, the idea that gremlins can be hurt by sunlight is ludicrous. Obviously, the movie makers simply needed a deus ex machina. But in truth, the deus arrives usually via teleportation, and he usually doesn’t work for free. He’s gorgeous though, so that’s something.

Of course, Thor had left him behind again. Of course, he had not heard when Loki had shouted for his help. Loki wondered why he expected anything different by now. He should just stay silent instead of screaming his lungs out for all the good that did, he thought, half-heartedly trying to struggle free from the claws that were digging deep into his shoulders. Senseless, he thought, watching the forests of Alfheim pass by beneath him. The eagle was a mage, a shape shifter, and had just enough power to be able to subdue Loki in his injured state.

Thyr would laugh at him for getting injured in the first place, if he ever got wind of this mess. First too slow in the brawl, then kidnapped by some obscure elf like a blushing maiden.

Loki groaned. He would have to keep this failure a secret, or Baldur would never let him hear the end of it.

Well, for now he could occupy himself with watching his blood being carried away by the wind. The wound in his stomach was still bleeding, the one in his thigh too. Cursed elven swords – the wounds they struck were always so tedious to heal. A good thing his grandfather had at least wiped the dark elves out of existence, Loki thought. Their poison was said to have been even nastier.

And yet, a part of him felt resentful that he had never had the chance to get to know them.

It had just been a minor skirmish on their hunting trip to Alfheim, nothing but a nuisance really. They had slayed an Undine and had been cutting it apart when they had been surprised by a group of winged elves who accused them of trespassing and who claimed the quarry for their own. Thor had been as diplomatic as was to be expected, Baldur, Höd, Hermod and Ullr hadn’t exactly helped, and so a fight had broken out. As usual.

Only then Loki had been separated from his shield brothers during the brawl, and when a part of the group of elves retreated, Thor and his stupid friends had blindly run after them, forgetting to make sure that Loki could follow. He had been left alone with half a dozen angry Alfir, some of them mages.

And had proven himself not skilled enough to hold his own.

Weakling.

By the time the eagle had carried him to the mountains, Loki had stopped the bleeding, though he felt dizzy from the effort, and tired, and cold, and bad-humoured all around.

He registered only distantly the landscape around him, until they approached a peak that seemed to be a castle at the same time, a large cave serving as its entrance.

When the eagle deposited him on the floor of what appeared to be the throne room of some wanna-be ruler, Loki crumbled to his knees.

‘Loki Odinson’ he heard a booming voice. ‘Prince of Asgard. Here you are, kneeling before me.’

Loki blinked, willing the world to stop turning. Then, his head still bent, he looked around. The guards surrounding him were all of a more or less Aesir form, though like the elves who had attacked them, they seemed to have wings instead of arms, and the faces of eagles.

The same family then.

Where exactly was he? He discretely looked up, saw the figure on the throne, with wings as arms like the rest, eagle-faced like the rest, the large banner above him. The coat of arms a mountain, a river flowing beneath it, an eagle hovering above, holding a staff and a stone in its claws – that particular coat of arms, if Loki wasn’t completely mistaken (and he seldom was), currently belonged to… Thjalzi.

Not that he had ever met this elf before, but Odin had made them memorize, when they had been children, every single of the thousands of coat of arms of the nine realms, and had pressed the importance of always staying informed of who currently possessed a claim to which. And in contrast to Thor, Loki did not generally forget Odin’s lessons.

Not that this helped him much with his father. But well.

He wondered if his capture had been planned or if Thjalzi had just been lucky, grabbing one of Odin’s sons during the retreat.

Though the slaying of the Undine had seemed, on from the beginning, like a lazy excuse for a fight, and Thor was easy to manipulate.

And since there had been a trespass, and then a fight, Thjalzi had also been, technically, in the right to take a prisoner. Even though taking a member of the royal family was… daring at best.

It had been a deliberate move then.

The question was, what did Lord Thjalzi want from an Aesir prince?

Nothing good, Loki immediately concluded, and had decided on a first, improvised plan just as quickly.

He sacrificed some of his seidr to strengthen his glamour, and then, as elegantly as he could with his continued dizziness, he stood up, and moved into one of his more regal postures.

‘Lord Thjalzi’ said he, letting his voice carry. ‘I apologise for the unhandiness of my arrival – it is only because the journey has tired me. Truly, I am honoured that you invited me here to your court so _kindly_ , and with my deepest gratitude, I accept your noble hospitality’

He bowed.

‘However, I am saddened’ said he. ‘That I was unable to bring a gift, as is custom for a guest. I had it with me, but I must have lost it during the flight. I cannot, upon my honour as a prince of Asgard, let that stand. Please allow me retrieve my gift, Lord Thjalzi, and to return here, so I can thank you properly for your kindness.’

Lord Thjalzi knew as well as he did that Loki was doing nothing but ask for a way out, but his strategy still had many advantages. By taking the initiative in this game, Loki had set the rules, and the rules of etiquette and hospitality were always recommended with a people who, Loki knew, could become pretty nasty once etiquette and hospitality no longer applied.

And Thjalzi regarded him pensively.

‘It is a pity that you want to leave so soon, Prince Loki’ said he. ‘For I had longed to converse with you about many things.’

I want to torture you until you reveal all of Asgard’s secrets, Loki translated.

At least, they were not stupid. They had kidnapped the more valuable prince in that regard.

He opened his hands as if in helplessness.

‘Oh, I too wished sometimes the rules of court would be less formal’ said he. ‘But to accept shelter here without a gift in return would mean a grave insult to your family, however you might personally think about it. I have to consider my honour, Lord Thjalzi. Such an act would put a blemish on it.’

Let me go.

‘I do promise though to return with the gift that I have lost’ added he.

Tell me what you want in return.

‘Mhm’ Lord Thjalzi said. ‘I feel unwilling to allow you to depart so quickly. Did you not say you were tired and in need of rest?’

‘I could never rest with such a debt weighing on my heart’ Loki said, with another bow, his hand on his chest.

‘Then at least promise to bring company when you return’ said Thjalzi. ‘I so seldom have the opportunity to meet the Aesir, and I have longed, for many a year now, to make the acquaintance of Lady Idunn.’

Loki… might have swallowed, at that. Apparently, Lord Thjalzi was a quick thinker, eager to make the most of Loki’s unfavourable situation.

Idunn… Loki could not do that. He could not offer her up. First of all, he actually liked her, which was rare enough, and secondly, she was the key to Asgard’s immortality. If he gave her to the elves, then Odin would behead him personally.

If he was feeling merciful, that was.

‘There are many other lovely ladies-‘

‘And yet, I wish to speak to Idunn’ Thjalzi said.

I want the apples, Loki translated.

Loki hesitated. Refusing was an option of course. How long until Thor would notice his absence? How long from then on until they would find out where he was, until they would free him? Despite the biting shame that being rescued like a damsel in distress would engender, he considered stopping shrouding himself against Heimdall, so to expedite the matter. But he had been sensing a foreign cloaking spell surround him ever since the eagle had picked him up.

Heimdall was considered all-seeing on Asgard, but in truth, he could be blinded far more easily than the arrogant Aesir thought.

Without Heimdall’s help and since the cloaking spell naturally made tracking spells useless too, especially if the Aesir didn’t have a few drops of Loki’s blood at hand somewhere (which Loki certainly hoped he had managed to prevent), the only thing father could do was to organise an ordinary search party, and they would have little to go on. Since Loki had been carried away in the air, there would be next to no traces to follow.

And all that required that anyone considered him to be in danger in the first place. Loki had made a habit of disappearing for long periods at a time, even during quests on other realms, so with all probability, it would be a while until anyone suspected that something was wrong.

He was not overly fond of those odds.

If Thjalzi was even remotely intelligent, he would make sure that Loki remained as weakened as he was now, or more so, incapable of using his magic to its full potential. Thus the violence would have to commence rather soon. Loki was moderately confident that he would not spill any important secrets under torture, and more importantly, he was pretty confident that he would be able to provoke the mountain elves into losing control and accidentally killing him before he could break. They were not exactly known for their refrain in such things.

So that was not the danger he had to worry about the most.

The question remained how much he served Asgard really by letting a random elven lord kill her second prince. It might not endanger Odin’s succession, with the crown prince still alive, but it would tarnish Asgard’s image heavily, and, more importantly, destroy the illusion that they were untouchable. There would be more revolts, more uprisings, the peace between the realms might shatter. Thor would become, for all those reasons, considerably more at risk. And he was a reckless fool. Smashing through his way with his hammer on their adventures was all good and well, but if he ever got into a _truly_ dangerous situation, with no mage of Loki’s caliber at his side to compensate for his stupidity…

That was a lot to gamble on the bet that he would survive until someone finally came for him.

The other option then. Bring them Idunn. But he couldn’t well leave her here.

What he _could_ do…

He refrained from grinning.

‘Can only Idunn satisfy your curiosity?’ asked he, for the sake of pretending to try and wriggle out of the deal.

‘I am afraid so’ said Thjalzi.

Loki let himself hesitate a few more moments.

‘Then I am sure she will be happy to oblige you’ said he then. ‘And I will bring you the gift too that I lost on the way, thus making up for my offence.’

‘Swear on the Norns’ said Thjalzi, his tone having lost some of the false politeness. ‘Swear on the Norns that you will return here, and with her. That she will stay.’

‘Mhm’ Loki said. You are doing exactly what I want you to do, my stupid elvish lord. ‘Will you swear then that if I bring Idunn here to stay, and my gift, that I will be free to leave unharmed at any moment I wish to? And that Idunn will enjoy the protection of your hospitality? That she will not be harmed or endangered either?’

‘…this gift that you keep talking about – what is it?’ asked Thjalzi now, cocking his head, obviously considering whether to accept the terms.

Loki’s smile was a promise.

‘Something very valuable’ said he, and infused his words with an idea that would carry across the hall, reach Thjalzi’s ears even though Loki had never spoken the word: apple. ‘I may have to speak to a few friends and make a deal to get it, but I think I will manage. I dare say you might like it.’

Greed, in Thjalzi’s eyes.

‘Then of course’ said Thjalzi imperiously. ‘I swear on the Norns that it will be as you said.’

‘Then I swear on the Norns that I will return here as soon as I have retrieved Idunn, that I will bring her here and that as a prince of Asgard I will allow her to stay. Furthermore, I swear that I will present you with a gift meant to express my obligation.’

‘Very well’ said Thjalzi, looking pleased, no, _victorious_ , the moron. ‘It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I sincerely think that you will make a fine king one day.’

Loki bowed deeply.

As if, he thought. But if I were crowned, in a moment of madness of the Allfather, I’d at least make a better one than you.

*

Thor had noticed his absence, but had predictably not been worried. He did furrow his eyebrows at him though, since Loki, despite his glamours, could not completely mask his exhaustion. He would have to work on those – it was inconvenient that the truth had a tendency to shine through.

Then Thor shifted on his tree trunk, and freed a place at the fire.

‘Where have you been, brother?’ asked he. ‘We defeated the elves without you, and then slayed another Undine.’

‘There are other trophies to hunt’ said Loki and sat down next to him. The forests were quiet around them. ‘Those kind that would be scared into hiding by your oafish and loud manner.’

‘You just took off at the first moment you sensed there would be a fight’ Baldur said between chewing on the leg he was holding in his hands. ‘A few scrawny elves too much for you?’

‘Mhm, I stayed long enough to witness the strangest sight’ Loki said calmly. ‘In the middle of a brawl between Aesir and elves, suddenly a dog broke away, running for its life with its tail between its legs. I thought it was an omen at first, especially since there had been no dog before, neither on our side nor on those of our enemies. But then I realised it was just _you_.’

Thor snorted at that, and also Hermod did, and the look Baldur threw Hermod for that was almost darker than the one he shot Loki.

Loki smiled back blandly. Never try to beat me with words, Baldur, he thought. On this battle field, I am the master and you a stumbling child.

*

At their return to Asgard, there was a feast, and Loki took care to stay long, telling the tales of their adventures on Alfheim in verse and in song, making sure to mock Baldur at length in the process without transgressing from allowed flyting to an insult that could give the idiot an excuse to challenge him to a fight.

The audience was easily captivated, and they laughed at his jokes, and hung on his lips when he was recounting a moment of danger, sometimes drifting off into dazed smiles when he was singing, when he was making his voice particularly smooth and silky.

There was desire, he knew, in those gazes. Loki was not considered handsome and he was not popular among the Aesir women, but however the men talked with more or less disguised contempt about his slender frame, his delicate features, his raven-black hair, however they murmured to each other (and yes, he made sure to catch the murmurs) how strange and inexplicable it was that two so fair and grand gods had given birth to something as dark and feeble, he was very aware that many of them _wanted_ him at the same time, maybe especially for his slender frame, his delicate features. Maybe especially because they were not supposed to. Baldur, of all people,…

It was contradictory, and rather disquieting. Often, Loki hated it, for Baldur did not always know how to keep his fingers to himself, and though Loki could keep him at bay with his magic easily enough, he remembered only too well that… and Baldur was his cousin even, looked far too much like Thor, Loki revolted at the thought alone that… but when he was singing, and they were entranced, he loved it.

For this was _his_ moment, as the feasts always were. Maybe he could not be Thor, could not be the shining hero praised for his mighty deeds, but he could be the bard, the witness, who could tell the stories of these deeds like no other. He felt useful then in a way that he seldom felt in other moments. No, he even felt necessary. For what was a deed with no one to recount it? Even the Norns told the stories of the universe to each other, spinning them between their fingers at the same time. They were bards too, and their own audience.

When Loki slipped out of the hall, he felt stronger, revitalised. He was sure that no one would notice his departure and that the next morning, the warriors would swear on their lives that Loki had been with them the whole night. Because as easily as he could draw attention, as easily he was forgotten again.

Also, by now, everyone was of course too drunk to notice anything much.

The journey to the planet Saigaai where his friends lived was agreeable, now that his seidr was not busy healing him anymore. They greeted him with cheers and crawled all over him immediately, opening the clasps of his clothing, not to undress him but because there were clasps and they mogwais, clawing into his hair, scratching over his arms. He chuckled, and disentangled one of them from his hair or shoulder from time to time, petted it, then let it drop rather unceremoniously on the ground. The mogwais snickered in return.

‘What would you say’ asked he, ‘to visiting a new place, new people?’

The cheers in response to that were booming.

*

Idunn was a more complicated matter.

Loki knew that he had to be careful if he was to be successful. Asgard knew her value all too well, and so her garden was surrounded by strong wards of protection. Taking her from there directly would be impossible. Since at least officially, she was not a slave or prisoner, she was allowed, and able, to leave those gardens however, and that was Loki’s advantage.

His disadvantage was that there were not many reasons for which Idunn would want to.

He let himself in since he knew Idunn would probably not even notice that there was a visitor at the gates. And being a prince, he did not technically have to ask for an invitation in this case. The gardens were of such high interest to the realm that the royal family had the right to visit and appraise them at any moment.

He did however bow deeply when Idunn finally turned around from the flower she was tending to, after he had called her name. Stilled bowed, he apologised for his intrusion, making sure to let a tone of suppressed nervousness infuse his voice.

‘Rise, Prince Loki’ said Idunn, and he did.

His voice had caught her attention, and now she regarded him closely. Noticing, without doubt, the faint strained lines in his face, the crease between his eyebrows.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?’ asked she, probably already trying to figure out what was wrong.

He gave her a charming if a bit strained smile in return, cocked his head, opened his arms, ‘Can I not simply wish to visit you out of a fascination with your marvellous creations? There _are_ members of the royal family who are interested in more than hunting, drinking and eating, you see?’

She smirked at the slight barb against his brother – the Aesir were always easier to trick when he accompanied his lies with an expression of jealousy against Thor. They expected it and Loki meeting their expectations reliably reassured them about him.

‘You are not your brother, no’ Idunn agreed. ‘I remember when Frigga brought you to my gardens the first time, Thor just wanted to practice sword fighting, and almost hacked down a few of my rarest flowers. You, on the contrary, bent down to those flowers, looked up into the crown of my trees, your eyes big and you full of questions. I knew then that you were the one to watch out for.’

‘Mhm’ Loki said, casting his eyes down, and caressing the stem of a tall flower nearby. He did not entirely have to pretend his abashment. It felt strange, and undeserved, to be praised by someone like her, who was so much more important than any mere king.

And he would leave her to Thjalzi.

Well, he thought. What was done was done, and he had already made an oath. Breaking those was… not recommendable.

‘I do not think, however’ Idunn said now, and her voice sounded soberer, ‘that looking at my plants is what you are here for today.’

He let himself hesitate. For long enough that Idunn would get the feeling that this time, something serious had happened.

‘It is probably nothing’ said he then.

‘Nothing?’ asked Idunn wryly.

Loki shook his head.

‘I must have not seen right’ said he, and straightened himself up. ‘I am sorry to have disturbed you, Lady Idunn. I will not steal any more of your time.’

He bowed and turned.

He took one step into the direction of the gate. Two. Three.

‘Loki, wait!’

With his back turned to her, he let himself grin, for he knew for certain in that instant that he was going to win. And he closed his eyes, because it felt as if the light of the stars themselves flowed into him, just for a moment. He didn’t have that feeling often, but oh how he _craved_ it.

‘Tell me what concerns you. What have you seen?’

He turned back to her slowly, the strain back in his expression. His eyebrows twitched, as if wanting to furrow, but as if he was trying to smooth them out, because he was suppressing his concern, no, his fear.

‘I…’ he began, then smiled at his own foolishness. ‘You will mock me, my lady.’

‘Let’s see if I will’ Idunn said, her voice stern now.

‘I… I saw it on the secret paths’ said he. ‘Walking on Yggdrasil’s branches. I have seen it before, and dismissed it, because what force could ever harm the world tree itself? Even the notion is ridiculous!’

And he laughed, suffocated.

Idunn paled a little.

‘What… Loki, what have you seen?’ asked she.

He frowned, trying to think back of what exactly had caught his eye.

‘At the roots’ said he. ‘There were spots. Dark spots. At first, I thought I had imagined them, only this night, after the feast, I felt like world wandering, you know, getting away from all those drunkards for a bit, and I walked on the branches again, looked down and… the spots… Idunn, I think they have _spread_.’

The colour drained from Idunn’s face.

‘Take me there!’ demanded she. ‘Now!’

He shifted his weight back on his heels, surprised.

‘Now?’ asked he. ‘Surely, you will want to go to the Allfather first, discuss the next steps – maybe he knows about the matter and can reassure you that it is nothing to worry about. I am sure he is watching over Yggdrasil’s well-being closely since you are so busy with your garden that you do not always have the time-‘

‘Now, Loki!’ Idunn said, and her eyes were blazing.

Anger and fear. Guilt. What handy emotions those were.

Loki hesitated. Then he bowed.

‘Yes, my lady’ said he. ‘Of course I will accompany you.’

By the time Loki had brought her to Yggdrasil, he was half-convinced himself that he had seen the tree rotting. Which did not alarm him terribly, since it would not have been the first time he ended up believing his own lies. That was just a side-effect of making an effort.

Idunn was not reassured that there was no rot visible, she ran towards the trunk, laid her hand on the bark, and he could feel her magic – she had not little of it – stream all over and into the tree, looking for the problem.

Only when her magic had touched every branch, every root, she let it retreat, and dizzy with exhaustion and wide-eyed relief, she leant against the trunk. Her hands were trembling.

‘It’s… alright’ murmured she as if still having trouble believing herself. ‘The tree is healthy. Everything… is alright.’

‘Oh’ said Loki, and raised his eyebrows. ‘Maybe I just dreamt it then?’

Her gaze flickered to him at that, and the relief was replaced first by wariness, then alarm.

‘Loki’ said she, quietly and threateningly.

‘I think we should go’ Loki answered, took her hand, and teleported them to the castle of Thjalzi.

*

Idunn took one look at her surroundings, the castle in front of them, then turned to Loki and slapped him across the face.

‘Oh, my’ said Loki. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d think I had angered you.’

He let go of her other arm immediately, but his magic prevented her from running.

Idunn glared at him, her jaw so tense it was trembling.

‘I do not blame you’ said Loki and inclined his head. ‘However, I will give you some advice. I have made Thjalzi swear on the Norns to grant you his hospitality and protection and to make sure that you will not be harmed. Accept this hospitality, and do nothing to violate it. Answer their questions. You are a very smart woman – I am sure that you will be able to do so without giving up anything all too important.’

He accompanied his words with a lazy gesture of his hand.

‘You will only have to oblige them for a few hours, I think. A day or two at best. After that, I am confident they will be otherwise occupied.’

He smirked.

‘I will assure your return to Asgard’ said he. ‘If you swear not to tell on me, that is.’

She narrowed her eyes on him dangerously.

‘Of course’ continued he lightly, raising his eyebrows. ‘You are free to refuse my offer, and disregard my advice. But then again, the question remains, how much will you really serve Asgard, your garden, and Yggdrasil, by letting yourself get killed?’

Idunn glared at him some more, her jaw shifting. She glanced at the castle again, back at him.

‘I swear on the Norns that if you return me to Asgard unharmed, and _soon_ , I will not reveal the truth’ said she, and then, rather dryly, ‘Let’s get this over with, Loki. I do hope for your sake that your plan is as well thought-out as you obviously think it is. I would not like to imagine what the Allfather would do to the person who had lost Asgard her immortality and given it to her enemies instead.’

The nervous smile he short her at that was almost honest.

He removed the spell that was shrouding them from their enemies’ eyes and ears only then, and when they strode towards the entrance, it already opened for them. Greedy to claim the prize.

The formalities of handing over Idunn were curt, Thjalzi obviously in a hurry to lock her away. Loki had to say for her that she played the role of the honoured guest very well, did not with one word lack etiquette… and did not look very fearful really. She was a formidable woman. Never would Loki let Thjalzi _keep_ someone like her.

‘You said you had brought a gift’ Thjalzi said soberly after Idunn had been led away. That was _not_ a polite way of asking for it, but Loki let it slide easily. Whatever Thjalzi did to put himself in the wrong now could only serve Loki’s purpose later.

Loki bowed.

‘Indeed, I have’ said he. ‘And I am grateful that you have allowed me to retrieve it, since the first time, I was so negligent as to lose it and turn up at your doors empty-handed.’

He reached into the pocket dimension where he had hidden the mogwai, and pulled it from there.

‘Allow me to offer you this fairy as a pet’ said he. ‘You may call him Gizmo. That is not his true name of course – you know how it is with fairies.’

Thjalzi’s face fell, as he realised what he would get instead of the most prized fruit of Asgard.

‘You’re giving me… a fae’ said he, his voice blank.

‘Yes, and isn’t it a particularly cute one?’ said Loki, and cooed at Gizmo, caressing him behind his long, naked bat ears. ‘Such an adorable little thing, aren’t you? I would like to pet you all day!’ He did not have to fake his enthusiasm. Gizmo _was_ cute, because it was his role to be. A short chunky body, with tiny arms and feet, furry all over except on the ears, and how soft that fur was! Big expressive eyes of course with heavy eyelids, a childish smile as he pressed against Loki, the noises he made were soft and high. Everything about Gizmo was designed to cause protective and parental instincts in as many species as possible.

‘You do not truly expect me to accept _that_?’ Thjalzi said dryly.

‘Should I not?’ asked Loki sharply, and looked up at the elf. He moved into a more threatening posture, letting his magic shine through just a bit. The guards around him shifted nervously.

‘I gave you an oath on the _Norns_ to bring you a very valuable gift, and that Gizmo is without doubt’ said he. ‘I travelled far beyond the nine realms, to a distant planet, and entered negotiations with the fae there. I made a _deal_ with them so that I could retrieve him, Lord Thjalzi. And now you stand here and tell me that you will not accept him, though he is, in every way, what I promised you? And by refusing my gift, you force me to break an oath on the Norns, to violate the rules of hospitality and bring shame on my name and the house of Odin, worse, on Asgard? Is that what you are trying to say?’

Loki knew his eyes were blazing, his face was dark and hard.

Thjalzi looked… a little thunderstruck.

He had to realise in that moment what rejecting Gizmo actually meant.

Loki had made sure not to tell a single lie about this. Gizmo was all he had promised – mogwais were worth caskets of gold on the black market. He _had_ travelled to a faraway planet, he had entered negotiations with the mogwai, he had made a deal with them (of course, the deal had been easy and to everyone’s benefit, not costing him anything he wasn’t very willing to give – but Thjalzi did not have to know that).

Forcing Loki to break his oath without a very good reason, Thjalzi had to know, would put Thjalzi in the wrong, not Loki. It would free Loki of all his oaths previously made, it would give him the _right_ , both magically and by law, to reclaim Idunn, to seek retribution even. The insult was only made worse by the fact that Loki was an Aesir prince and Thjalzi a minor lord and Loki’s subject.

And Loki was not weakened this time, not injured. He would be perfectly able to tear this castle and Thjalzi and everything that was his apart.

This time around, the rules of hospitality protected Thjalzi, not his guest, and they both knew it.

‘…of course not’ Thjalzi rectified, looking decidedly unhappy. ‘I was merely… surprised, but of course I accept it.’

Loki regarded him, his chin raised, as if still considering whether to press the matter.

‘Well, then’ said he, making sure to sound less pleased, slightly irritated even. ‘I will leave my dear Gizmo to your care. I do hope that you will treat him well, for I am sad indeed to part with him, and the fae would be rather angry with me if they found out I had given one of their kind to a careless master.’

‘You can reassure them that Lord Thjalzi is never careless when it comes to the fae’ said the elf, eyeing Gizmo nervously.

No, probably, he was not – on Alfheim, everyone knew how much trouble they could be.

‘Oh, it won’t be a difficult task. There are really only three rules you must under all circumstances follow, and they are easy enough to remember’ Loki said, his voice still a bit clipped. ‘Do not let him come into contact with water, do not feed him after midnight, and – as always – do not try to find out his true name.’

‘What… will happen if I break one of the first two?’ asked Thjalzi. Everyone knew what happened when you broke the third. That was the kind of fairy rage no one wished to invite upon themselves.

‘Oh’ said Loki and turned to Gizmo again, caressing him under his chin. ‘Then Gizmo will be sick, the poor, poor thing, and very upset. Won’t you be upset, Gizmo? He hates it when that happens, don’t you, Gizmo? He cries and cries and cries!’

He began cooing at Gizmo again.

‘But other than that’ said Loki then and settled the mogwai on the ground carefully. ‘He should be a very accommodating pet, and you will find yourself quite charmed by him. There is no one quite like Gizmo.’

Gizmo waddled over to the throne as soon as Loki had released him, climbed up the stairs and pressed himself against Thjalzi’s leg. The lord looked down at him, and if there was still wariness in his eyes, fear even, Loki could see the magic work already, could see Thjalzi’s mouth form into a smile. There were not many who were immune to a mogwai lure. Not many at all.

Loki left the castle smiling. He was not in the least bit afraid that Thjalzi would succeed at obeying the rules and never allow the mogwai to transform. The rules had to be stated, and then they had to be broken, there was no way around it, no way to prevent it, if only because the Norns would never ever pass up a chance at mogwai brand destruction. It was simply too much fun to watch.

Loki had told nothing but the truth of course – Gizmo _would_ be upset when the transformation would inevitably occur, he would be sick and vomit the others, he would cry, because that was his purpose.

Gizmo was not the name for an individual, he was not an actual separate person; he or she was simply the first state of the mogwai, and just as necessary as the gremlin that followed. Gizmo took care that the fairy got invited into the house, and that it gained if not the trust then at least the reluctant love of their hosts. And Gizmo was also the one who had to _stay_ innocent, who could never be blamed because their sadness with the destruction around them was always earnest, was always heart-felt. They were also always a victim of this destruction, often held prisoner or harried by the gremlins, because that was the way the mogwai worked. Innocence and childish love were an undeniable part of them, served a purpose, and then that part was bound and mocked and harassed by the rest. Many unfortunate hosts went, hopelessly enthralled, so far as to actually _rescue_ Gizmo, thus ensuring the mogwai’s survival even if the gremlins themselves could somehow be killed.

The mogwais had understood, far before Loki had, that contradicting oneself was not always a weakness. And that for the liar, the most dangerous weapon was always the truth.

*

Loki was summoned by his father at noon. So it had not taken them long at all to notice Idunn’s absence. He wondered if she did feel like a prisoner, sometimes, in a corner of her heart. He knew _he_ would.

‘Idunn is not in her garden?’ Loki asked, standing in father’s study in front of father’s desk, his hands joined behind his back. ‘That is unusual indeed. Did she tell anyone that she would leave? Surely, that, at the very least, is her duty.’

Father looked at him from where he was sitting at his writing desk, and his head was slightly leant back, his gaze dry and no-nonsense. He already suspected, Loki thought, and he did not appreciate the barb. Because of course Idunn was not required to tell anyone of her comings and goings.

Officially.

‘Thor tells me you have been at the feast the whole night’ said father. ‘But strangely enough, when I went to the hall, I did not see you.’

Loki scoffed.

‘Of course I did not stay’ said he. ‘And of course Thor said I did. He was drunk. As always. And even when he is not, he seems to have trouble noticing whether I am there or not. Or did you forget my and his quest to Muspelheim?’

That had been one of the more inconvenient occasions of Thor leaving him behind. Father had gotten actually angry over it for once, and had, so Loki had been told, shouted in Thor’s face to finally learn paying attention to something else but his own battle fury. But then again, that might have been because Loki’s injuries – they had healed surprisingly slowly, even after he had finally been out of danger – had crossed father’s plans of sending Loki as an emissary to Alfheim, in order to trick the council of lords and ladies there into a very disadvantageous deal.

‘Do not try to distract me from you by reminding me of Thor’s failures’ said father. ‘It is a transparent move, and insults my intelligence. Heimdalls says he could not see you last night. Where have you gone after you left the feast?’

Loki huffed.

‘I shroud myself from Heimdall all the time’ said he. ‘Will you now make me responsible for every little thing that happens on Asgard just because he cannot prove without doubt I was not involved?’

‘If you want to avoid suspicion’ said father. ‘Then maybe you should not give me so very many grounds to suspect you. And maybe you should let Heimdall watch you again. He asked me to tell you that it would be safer for you too.’

At that, Loki let out a ‘Hah’, and cold anger gripped his heart immediately.

‘Safer for me?’ he asked. ‘The watchman just has a filthy mind, surely hoping to catch a glimpse of me with another again. If you think I will give him another occasion to satisfy his depraved urges, you are quite wrong.’

Odin’s face stiffened at that, and surely he felt ashamed that his son would mention that particular matter _again_ , but Loki held his gaze, did not _care_. He was sure Heimdall had watched then. And nobody had come to his help. Not then, not afterwards. Not until everything was over.

So not to shame Loki any further, Odin had said. He had spoken of kindness.

And Loki had felt, at those words, as if Odin had stabbed him in the chest and twisted the blade.

Now, he raised his chin.

‘You are being deliberately obscene, so to offend me’ Odin remarked.

Am I now? Is that what I am doing?

Loki knew it was true, yet he felt it was wrong. Just like he understood why Odin had taken Sleipnir, why an Aesir prince simply _could_ not be the mother of a foal, why the fallout from this would not only have harmed Loki but Asgard herself immensely. And yet, he had never learned to accept it. Weak. You would want to roll around in your filth until it covered you from head to toe, and then show everyone, ask them whether they were proud.

‘You reproach me, Heimdall and Thor of abandoning you in your hours of need’ said Odin then, his voice suddenly sharp. ‘But how can you expect us to protect you, Loki, if you shroud yourself, lie to me, vanish for weeks at a time without telling anyone where you are going, act on your own in times of war and hardship without preventing me of your plans, go against my direct orders, and generally do everything else to render completely _impossible_ this protection?’

The tone as well as the question itself caught Loki a bit off his guard.

But it was a trap, and he would not fall for it.

‘Why, pray tell me, Allfather, should I expect protection?’ asked he disdainfully. ‘Why should you think I had a _need_ for it? Do you have so little confidence in my capabilities?’

He was a man, a prince, a warrior, to even suggest he might need…

‘So are you getting into trouble deliberately then?’ asked Odin dryly.

You are not man, not prince, not warrior enough, Loki translated. And the proofs are your many, many failures.

And by the Norns, he truly did produce enough of those.

‘Very well’ said Odin then, and bent down to the letter he was reading. ‘Do as you wish. I hope, for your sake as well as for that of Asgard, that Idunn will return from her travels soon. I should warn you that my patience about this matter will run out quickly.’

*

He could feel it when it began. It was the night after his conversation with Odin, and he looked up from the book he was reading, and smiled. He had not truly expected it, since Alfheim was so very far away, but it seemed like the bond forged between him and the mogwai was strong enough to make such matters as physical distance irrelevant.

The seidr streamed into him like the warmest and sweetest mead.

Loki knew that this was what the mogwai were all about. They were chaos fairies, and what sustained them was not the material food they needed to transform, but the energy they set free with their destruction. It was an art of weaving seidr Loki had not studied very thoroughly yet, for there seemed to exist few mages or creatures that could use chaos so efficiently to their benefit. But the mogwais were such creatures and so, it seemed, was he.

He was not sure why this was so, exactly, only that it did not surprise him. It felt natural, and despite him knowing it to be wrong, dishonourable, it felt _right_.

Maybe he was just a naturally dishonourable person.

The emissary from Alfheim arrived already the next morning, which was quick even for a case of mogwai infestation.

Odin summoned Loki, his eyes still full of wariness, and informed him that a mountain elf sent by Lord Thjalzi wished to speak to him, alone.

‘How odd’ Loki answered. ‘What grievances could there be that he could not discuss with you directly, father?’

Odin raised an eyebrow at him in a way that told Loki not to play games.

‘He seemed rather nervous’ commented he. ‘Almost desperate, I would say. I wonder what could distress Lord Thjalzi so very much that he dares seek an unheralded audience with one of Asgard’s princes, at the same time disregarding her king.’

Loki shrugged.

‘Something serious, I suppose’ said he. ‘If nothing else, the elf has certainly gained my curiosity for now.’

*

‘So you are telling me that after reacting so impolitely to my gift it verged on the insulting, your lord has, despite my clear advice, disregarded not one but two of the three very _simple_ rules I gave him?’ Loki asked, his voice sharp and imperious. ‘Why not ask Gizmo for his name as well, when he was already at it? And now that he has insulted and abused the fairy I left under his care – with his promise that he would treat it well, I must add – he asks me for _help_?’

The emissary drew his wings closer to himself, ducked his head.

‘Lord Thjalzi is aware of these offences’ said he. ‘And he would like to apologise profusely for it. Only we don’t know what else to do. The creatures are tearing our castle apart, and already, so many of our rank have died, Lord Thjalzi has barricaded himself with Lady Idunn in the inner sanctum-‘

‘Idiots! You cannot anger a fairy and expect no consequences!’ Loki interrupted him. ‘And do not speak to me of Lady Idunn! Her too I left with the promise that she would be protected, that she would be safe, and not even a day has gone by and she has to fear for her life because of her host’s severe negligence?’

‘And Lord Thjalzi is most grievously saddened to have broken his oath, however unwillingly and despite his best efforts-’ said the emissary and bowed deeply.

‘Well, his best efforts were not very _good_ , were they?’ Loki snapped. ‘How can he claim the right to rule on a realm like Alfheim and not even be able to handle a single fairy for a day? And why should I, after all this insulting behaviour, ever give him the honour to return to his court? He invited this trouble unto himself, and he _deserves_ the destruction he has sown.’

The emissary, still bowed, trembled slightly.

Loki sighed.

‘And if it were not for Gizmo and Lady Idunn, I would leave him to deal with it’ said he, his voice softer. The emissary very cautiously straightened himself up again. ‘But if anything, I will have to retrieve them, now that he has shown himself unworthy of both of their company. If he swears on the Norns that I will be allowed to come to his court, and leave unharmed whenever I wish to, if he swears on the Norns that Idunn and Gizmo will be allowed to leave with me, also unharmed, and if he gives me full reign in how to deal with the matter of the angry fae, _and_ if he at least _tries_ not to break his oath this time, then I might perhaps be persuaded to assist him.’

The emissary breathed out in almost embarrassing relief.

He made all the oaths in Lord Thjalzi’s name, evidently having been given the power to do so. Loki watched him and listened to every word, weighing and judging it, silently thanking his father for teaching him at least this – how to work himself into righteous anger, only to swerve to mercy at the right moment, with the right excuse. All to serve his own goal of course. Loki had mimicked Odin’s voice, his posture, his piercing stare – and he found out that it worked.

Well, it had worked on him, for centuries.

*

The castle, despite having been carved out of a mountain, was barely standing anymore. Parts of it were caved in, and gremlins were crawling on the outside of the walls, clawing into the stones and tearing off chunks.

They were small, yes, but one should never underestimate their power.

The trembling emissary followed him very unwillingly into the throne room that was strewn with bodies and debris. Gizmo had been bound to the throne with something that resembled intestines quite intimately, and a couple of gremlins were throwing at his face what looked like the inner organs of some of the gutted guards, snickering when they hit home and Gizmo wailed loudly.

Transformed, the mogwai lost most of their easy charm of course, along with their fur. The gremlin stage had grey and white skin, red eyes, and a rather sharp-toothed grin. Their limps had elongated, their hands morphed into claws. Their eyes sharp and malicious.

Loki never could decide whether he liked Gizmo or them better. Two sides of one very unique coin.

‘Oh, by all the gods’ the emissary whispered. ‘Can I not wait outside?’

‘If you want to become an easy target?’ asked Loki dryly. ‘By all means, then go. I do not need you anymore. Otherwise, stay close to me.’

He strode over to the throne, passing the gremlins without a thought. They would not attack him. Gizmo looked up at him with big eyes, round tears leaking from them. His fur was sticky with blood.

‘Oh, my poor, poor Gizmo’ Loki said and bent down to him, magically untying the intestines. ‘What has Lord Thjalzi done to you, this bad, bad man? He does not deserve you, no, you cute, adorable little thing, he does not deserve you at all.’

And he took Gizmo up and pressed him against his chest. Gizmo sighed and turned his face into Loki’s leathers in response, grabbing at them and holding tight, whimpering. When Loki turned, the emissary was staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. The gremlins, as to them, were watching the emissary, probably already wondering what best to do with that new toy.

‘You’re not staying close enough’ Loki said dryly, and the emissary jumped, looked around at the gremlins, then quickly took a few more steps in Loki’s direction.

And the gremlins narrowed their eyes, but then turned away, and directed their attention back to one of the corpses that still looked more or less in one piece.

‘They are not hostile towards you’ the emissary remarked.

‘I am not the one who has offended them’ Loki responded. ‘So you had better give them the impression that you are under my protection. Now lead me to the inner sanctum. I do not intend to stay here longer than is absolutely necessary after all.’

The destruction became more and more visible the deeper they ventured into the mountain. The gremlins had managed to flood some areas, had made others cave in. Loki came by a magical shield across a corridor that two mages were trying to maintain. Behind the border, there were more corpses, and gremlins were stumbling around among empty glass flasks rolling around on the ground. The gremlins were dressed awkwardly in some of the corpses’ clothes, wearing trousers on their heads and tunics around their waists, dragging torn off limps behind them. One of them was flapping around with a pair of bloodied eagle wings, pretending (or maybe attempting) to fly, one was busy plucking the feathers from another body, throwing them into the air afterwards, where they tumbled about and slowly to the ground in a small feathery cloud. They were looking drunk and immensely happy, and some of them were scratching lazily at the shield from the inside, their sharp claws looking like they might penetrate it at any moment.

The elves had tried to kill them by luring them with poisoned wine, Loki learned from the emissary.

Evidently, the poison had not been quite strong enough.

Loki hid the smirk, and went on.

The mogwai were not trying very hard to get into the inner sanctum yet, but they were already toying with the magic that was supposed to keep them out, prodding at the wards, pulling at them, wrapping tendrils of Thjalzi’s grey seidr around their fingers, snickering when the wards lashed out and shocked them dizzy.

‘Tell Thjalzi to let me in’ Loki said when they were standing in front of the massive stone door. ‘The angry fae will not follow me, don’t worry.’

The emissary called out, and soon the door opened. It closed shut behind them with a thud as soon as they had walked inside.

Inside the room that looked much like it had been once constructed as the last defence against a siege, a small number of the court was huddled together, Idunn and Thjalzi placed in the middle. Thjalzi was shaking as if from a fever, barely able to hold himself up, his eyes red-rimmed, his feathers dull. Breaking an oath on the Norns unwillingly did not have the terrible consequences that breaking it deliberately did, but overexerting oneself magically as much as Thjalzi had obviously done was still not very conductive to one’s health, generally speaking.

Idunn, as to her, merely raised an eyebrow at Loki. She looked as healthy as ever, and not terribly distraught. But then again, he had allowed her to feel the spell that he had put on her before giving her up. Just a small rune of seidr, marking her.

 _Do not hurt this one_.

‘Well’ said Loki. ‘Let us not waste any more time. This place is filthy and stinking, and the moment cannot come soon enough when I will finally leave it behind for good. I am under the impression that you have made a few more promises, Lord Thjalzi.’

The emissary repeated the oaths he had made in Thjalzi’s name, and Thjalzi did not voice any objections. He just stared at Loki, as if seeing him for the first time.

Finally realising, Loki thought and the satisfaction was almost arousing, who he was dealing with. Who exactly it was he had tried to best.

‘Drop the wards of this room’ said Loki, after the emissary had finished.

‘But-‘

‘You swore I would have free reign as to how to deal with this matter. Are you ever going live up to your word, or are you an oath breaker through and through, Lord Thjalzi?’

Loki did not bother to moderate the tone of his voice, and Thjalzi flinched as if slapped.

He then ended the spell that protected the room with a whisper.

‘That’s better’ said Loki, ‘and doesn’t it feel good to finally let your magic go?’, then turned to the door that began to open slowly. The gremlins were already looking around the corner of the doorway, cocking their heads. Curious.

Silently waiting for a sign of whether Loki would allow them to take these toys apart too.

Loki however went down to his knees, settled the still whimpering Gizmo on the ground, and sang.

It was a soft, quiet song about how a great and beautiful mischief had been accomplished and about how it was now time, after a long, long day, to rest. About how tired his little gremlins had to be, how warm and accommodating Gizmo was, how he would accept them back without rancour, without question.

They came of course. All of them, they slowly approached, yawning, their eyelids already heavy, their steps unsure, some of them still dragging limps or flasks of wine or clothing behind them. The feeble, remaining wards were not able to hold them, Loki knew. Not his mogwai. And all of them padded toward Gizmo, bent down to him, lifted what looked like just a fold of fur on his stomach, ducked and slipped in, as if through the navel, their much bigger body fitting easily in Gizmo’s. And he took them, each and every one, let them each of them hold up his fur, let each of them slip inside, sighing each time, content that they were returning, that he was going to be whole once more.

And when all of the gremlins had been absorbed, and none was left behind, Loki took up Gizmo once more in his arms, petting and caressing him, letting him rub his face on Loki’s cheek despite the blood the happy mogwai was smearing everywhere.

‘Now you’re feeling better, little Gizmo, aren’t you?’ asked Loki and meant it. ‘Loki has made it all better again. No more bad Lord Thjalzi, yes? Loki will take you away from this bad, bad man, Loki will take you home where he can’t hurt you no more.’

He heard a startled, unbelieving laugh behind him, but by the time he turned to Thjalzi, the elf had himself under control. He stood, his head bowed.

‘You will forever have my gratitude, Prince Loki’ said he. ‘I know you were under no obligation to help me, but-‘

‘Enough’ Loki said sharply. ‘I believe that Idunn, Gizmo and I want to leave.’

‘Oh, take Idunn’ Thjalzi said, now looking at him with sharp, alert eyes, even though he was still slightly bowed. ‘And take your little Loptr. You have not lied – your gift certainly did you credit.’

‘When would I ever lie’ Loki said with a smile, and Idunn snorted.

When they were walking away from the castle, Loki, who was still holding Gizmo to his chest and caressing him, half turned to his companion.

‘I expect you did not reveal the secret of immortality to an elf too dull to see through even the most transparent of tricks?’

‘Oh, please’ said Idunn and rolled her eyes. ‘As you so generously admitted, I am not exactly dim-witted. Thjalzi learned nothing that he will be able to use.’

‘Mhm’ Loki hummed. ‘I thought you would not disappoint me.’

They fell silent for a while.

‘It might be wise to give Odin the impression that you were simply travelling’ said he then. ‘Maybe so to look for a plant of some sort? I am sure you will think of something.’

‘I am sure I will find something to say’ Idunn agreed dryly. ‘I am not entirely unused to lying to the Allfather.’

Loki chuckled a little.

‘I am also already looking forward to the long and good thrashing I am going to give you once we are back on Asgard’ added she, some of her remaining anger audible in her voice.

‘Oh, my’ Loki said, his eyes widening. ‘What an indecent offer, Lady Idunn! Careful, or you might make me blush!’

Idunn could not help the amused twitch of her lips at that.

Finding pleasure in pain was not exactly encouraged in Aesir men, and an ordinary lady would have found Loki’s joke daring at best.

A good thing then that Idunn was anything but ordinary.

‘At least I was right about you being the one to watch out for. But I can promise you that I can thrash you in a way where from you will not be able to draw any enjoyment’ said she, probably only half in jest.

Loki’s grin only widened.

‘Is that a bet?’

Idunn snorted, not hiding her amusement any more.

‘Oh, Loki’ sighed she, and shook her head.

‘Oh, Loki, what?’ Loki asked innocently and scratched Gizmo behind the right ear. The mogwai purred in response, and closed his eyes.

‘Nothing more than that’ said Idunn resignedly, shook her head again. ‘I fear that for the moment, oh Loki must suffice.’


End file.
